St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-21


read the report of the commission aloud,
and said he was baffled when it was pre-
scented. What did this report mean. he
wanted to know As it was it was very
ambiguous, and he would remedy it by
changingt.
ST. Paul. MIMI, April 10. 1887. To the
Presbytery Of ST. Paul. assembled April 90,
1887, at Westminster Church, Minneapolis,
Dear Brethren: present to you, and lay
upon your table, the following documents:
First-The report of your own committee
upon the case of the First Presbyterian
church, ST. Paul, approved by the presby-
terry Nov. g. 1856.
Second-The report of your own commits
sion,i the case of the same church,approved
Jan. Is, 1897.
Third-A paper fraudulently entitled IAN
swer of N. West, d. D., to the call of the
First Presbyterian church, st. Paul. designed
for the presbytery, but presented to the com-
mittee. Paper o. aud published to the
world and circulated as my answer, without
authority of either the presbytery or its COM
mission, and officially certified as OF record
and on file.
Fourth-A petition, with false title. ad-
dressed to the presbytery, and signed by per-
sons not members of the First Presbyterian
church, and others, OBTAINING the under
signed, and asking your body to undo the
whole work OF its committee and commission
ana relnState the petitioners.
Fifth-An attested report OF the proceed
ings of the unlawful and disorderly meeting
of certain persons, Dec. 20, 1856, who. after
their connection with the church has termi-
mated, invaded and closed the house OF wor-
ship upon the pastor-elect and the members
of the church and congregation. in the face
of warning from the commission, and have
kept it closed ever since Al defiance OF the
order of the presbytery, and have issued TO
the world the fraudulenty entitled paper and
petition above alluded to, besides other
papers.
SiXth-The answer of the defendant
trustees and the afh davit of their Opponents
to the complaint of the plaintiffs in civil
court and representing the First Presbyte-
rian church and congregation, praying the
court to enforce the order of the presbytery,
inasmuch as Presbyterian authority is at an
end.
To these papers, loaded with misrepresen-
tatiou, falsehoods, frauds, public defamation
OF the undersigned (a) in the house of God,
(b) before this presbytery, (c) before the pub
lie at large. and circulated to the world, (d)
false swearing, (e) evasion, and
f prevarication, and aimed at the
moral and ministerial character of the under
signed, again draw the attention of the
presbytery and respectfully ask a judicial in
veStigatiOn of the same lin the namesof the
Presbyterian church in the United States Of
America as our constitution provides in the
case of public crime. To these l shall add,
at the proper time, the personal testimony of
individuals in proof of moral atrocities en-
ployed and persistent defamation and mis-
representation in securing names to the
list of applications for dismission
from church membership. as also the
manner in which not onlYSome of these names,
but of names appended to this petition have
been obtained, the petitioners not knowing
the contents of the petitions; crimes all COM
o;,,
piled for, and persisted in their demands for,
such diSmission. and led into same by J. W.
Cooper, an undismissed member of the
church. After four months of immunity
from all responsibility, and browning
all with still-continued resistance to
the order of this body, the presbytery
lying helpless at the feet of persons
not members of the Presbyterian church
yet guilty of the aforesaid otfenses, as IS
well known to the public. and no session ex-
listing, and no place for the pastor-elect to
call his congregation together, the flock Of
people loyal to the Presbyterian church scat
tered, homeless and neglected-a condition
of things alien not only to the common pre-
cepts of the gospel of Christ, but to the COM
mon principles of natural justice. ] respect
fully ask, for the honor of religion, the
self-respect of the presbytery, the
rights of a loyal people who have
suffered in silence, and only in the name of
prescribes, process be instituted, lin the
name of the Presbyterian church in the
Clited States of America whose 'peace,
purity and unity have been thus violated.
and one of whose churches has been broken
in twain by crimes and disorders without par
allel in the annals Of our denomination. And
/ remain your brother in Christ,
NATHANIEL WEST.
In closing, DR.. West read paper in
which he presented to the presbyterv all
the documents in the case, and held that he
had been grossly misrepreSented and
malgned. The complaints in the civil
suits, he said, had been laden with the
most outrageous falsehoods, and had been
sent out to the world charging him with
the most terrible conduct, both privately
and ministerialiy. Here he was again
called down by the moderator, SwhOiheId
that Dr.. West was out OF order. The rev.
erend gentleman attempted to show that he
was in order. and remarked that he had re-
written the paper i'll an endeavor to find
language suitable to express himself. and
carried his point amid strong opposition
from Prof. Kiehle. Dr.. West. resuming,
said that as the report of the commission
read now, it simply meant that the pres
bytcry could take no action on things now,
gone before or to come. The moderator
ruled DR.. West out of order, whereupon
DR.. West said he was entirely through, and
had only now to make a request. This re-
quest was that an investigation should at
once be held ON behalf of himself and on
behalf of the members of the church who
had now no place to worship. The gentle
man closed by remarking that he had stood
the thing as long as he could, and now he
was going to do what he considered best for
the loyal people who had been locked out
from his church.
Dr.. Christie said that he resented the in
situation made by Dr.. West that he had
tried to make trouble. He made sarcastic
reflection to DR.. West, who Immediately
broke in and wanted to know if the moder-
ator would allow him (West) to make such
remark. A vote on the amendment,
authorizing the commission to enjoin the
members of the First church from prosecut-
ing the suit until the case is heard before
the Minnesota synod, was taken. after
much discussion, and the same lost. The
report of the commission was then laid ON
the table by a vote of SO to 3.
After laying the report on the table,
Prof. Kiehle moved that the call extended
to Rev. DR.. West to act as pastor of the
First church in st. Paul be recalled by the
presbytery. DR.. West was given an OPP
portunity to explain certain papers bearing
upon the report that he had declined to
accept the call. The reverend gentleman
explained that the letter was private one
written to a clergyman in this city, while
laboring under false impression,
in regard to the meeting at which
it was decided to call him to
the pastorate. A motion to postpone the
matter brought up by Prof. Kiehle was met
with considerable opposition, Rev. Dr.
Campbell holding that the business could
be finished in short time, as the question
now was, Shall DR.. West be retained as
pastor-elect of the First church or not?
DR.. West remarked that he hoped the mat